When the Demon Lords voiced their concerns, Rimuru could only respond with an equally confused expression.
After all, he didn't fully understand Ren's ability either. The explanation he had just given had come directly from Raphael, Lord of Wisdom.
Which raised a rather terrifying question.
If the effects of Ren's ability were only temporary…
didn't that mean he could only be a man temporarily as well?
Once Ren's power disappeared, he would turn right back into a genderless slime!
"This is a nightmare!"
The thought of losing his gender again made Rimuru cry out in horror.
What he hadn't expected, however, was that the other Demon Lords immediately chimed in with agreement.
"That's right. It really would be a nightmare," Luminous said with a grave expression.
"If the effect is temporary, that's one thing. But if it's permanent… I can't even imagine the consequences."
Everyone understood her concern.
Compared to other races, humans possessed incredibly high potential.
But they also suffered from one fatal weakness.
Their lifespans were painfully short.
Even the most extraordinary human could only live around a century at best. No matter how powerful they became, they would eventually return to dust.
Unless they followed a path like Leon, who had fallen into demonhood and transformed from a human into a demon-human hybrid.
As for strength, everyone present was already a Demon Lord. Their current power had been accumulated over countless years, so they no longer cared about racial potential.
But if they truly became human…
Wouldn't they all turn into piles of dirt within a few decades?
"Let's just watch and see what happens," Guy said calmly.
"Such an absurd power probably can't be permanent. It would completely break the rules otherwise."
"The battle should be ending soon anyway."
He looked toward the battlefield, his crimson eyes gleaming with interest.
"With strength like that—pushing Milim into this kind of corner…"
"It seems our world is about to produce another truly terrifying monster."
Unlike the others, Guy remained surprisingly calm about his own transformation from a demon into a human.
Although Ren's ability amazed him, he firmly believed it couldn't be permanent.
Power didn't appear out of nowhere.
To wield overwhelming strength, one had to pay a corresponding price.
Everyone here was either a Demon Lord or a True Dragon.
If Ren truly possessed the ability to permanently strip away the racial talents and power of others, he would already be invincible in the world.
Even the supreme godlike Star King Dragon would have been insignificant in comparison.
As it turned out, Guy's speculation was correct.
This was actually the first time Ren Kuroda had used the power of Simulated Genesis Star Map outside the world of Little Garden.
Within that world's cosmology, Simulated Genesis Star Map functioned almost like a manifestation of rule authority. It could operate without requiring Ren to pay any significant cost.
But here in this world…
Although the ability still functioned, it no longer had the backing of that world's rules.
According to the law of conservation of energy, if Ren wanted to use Simulated Genesis Star Map, he had to fuel it with his own magicules or yokai energy.
And the higher the level of power…
the greater the cost.
Ren could already feel it clearly.
Ever since activating Simulated Genesis Star Map, the magicules inside his body had been rapidly draining away.
Of course—
compared to Ren's loss, Milim's power had been reduced far more severely.
And because she had temporarily become human, she had completely lost her ability to manipulate stardust particles.
"The fight's starting again."
Ren lowered his stance slightly, gripping his sword tightly.
"Let's decide this with the final blow, Milim."
He prepared to unleash his ultimate sword technique—Wuqü once again.
This time, however, he also infused the attack with the power of The Evil of This World.
As for why he wasn't using another technique—
the answer was simple.
Wuqü was already the strongest move he possessed.
Milim had been significantly weakened by Simulated Genesis Star Map.
If everything came down to one final clash…
there was no guarantee he would lose.
Hearing Ren's words, Milim's face once again lit up with excitement.
She raised the Star Emperor Dragon Horn Sword high above her head.
This sword was bound exclusively to her.
No one else could wield it.
And regardless of whether Milim was a human or a demon, the sword would always respond to her.
"Heavenly Demon Dragon Star Slash!"
"Wind–Forest–Fire–Mountain Secret Art: Wuqü!"
Sword met blade.
A single clear metallic clash echoed across the entire space.
Blinding white light exploded outward, instantly overwhelming everyone's vision and plunging them into temporary blindness.
The earth cracked and shattered beneath the impact.
Even the heavily reinforced barriers surrounding the battlefield began breaking apart like fragile glass under the shockwaves.
By the time the raging storm finally subsided…
everyone felt something strange.
The strength they had lost earlier was slowly returning.
The Demon Lords who had temporarily been transformed into humans were reverting to their original races.
Demons.
Elves.
Dragons.
And so on.
Rimuru instinctively glanced down at his crotch.
Then he sighed in deep disappointment.
His little brother had disappeared again.
He had returned to being a genderless slime.
Rimuru felt genuinely depressed.
He had briefly regained his manhood…
but hadn't even had the chance to properly enjoy it.
"So… what's the result?"
"Who won?"
Now that their races had returned to normal—and they no longer had to worry about dying of old age in a few decades—the Demon Lords quickly turned their attention back to the battlefield.
Inside the barrier, the ground had been sunk several meters lower than the terrain outside.
Two figures lay separated on the shattered earth.
Moments later, both of them stirred.
Then, one after the other, they struggled to their feet.
"You win this time, Milim."
Ren leaned slightly on his sword to support his trembling body.
Even with the assistance of his Divine Blessing, standing upright was difficult.
"I've already used every trump card I have."
"If you had fought without holding back and fully unleashed Wrathful King, I probably wouldn't have even had the chance to fight back."
Facing the pink-haired girl in front of him, Ren admitted defeat without hesitation.
He wasn't someone who couldn't accept a loss.
And in this sparring match, he had truly lost fair and square.
In fact—
if this had been a true battle to the death, he likely would have died long ago.
From the very beginning, Milim had been holding back.
Even the use of Wrathful King had been carefully restrained.
Later, when she saw Ren injured, she had already calmed down, meaning the skill's amplification had become almost negligible.
Even though Ren had used his final trump card—Simulated Genesis Star Map—and drastically weakened Milim…
their final clash had appeared evenly matched.
But only Ren himself knew the truth.
The one who had truly lost was still him.
The reason was simple.
He no longer had enough magicules left to even maintain Simulated Genesis Star Map.
Meanwhile, Milim still had plenty of power remaining.
Without the suppression effect of the star map, Ren had no chance of winning.
And after sustaining The Evil of This World, Blade Spirit Release, Bottomless Drinker, Half-Oni Transformation, and several other enhancement abilities for so long…
his body had finally reached its absolute limit.
At this point—
forget fighting.
Ren felt like even walking would cause every muscle in his body to scream in pain.